


10 years of service

by poppyharris



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:20:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27778291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poppyharris/pseuds/poppyharris
Summary: ten times gale didn't take his chance and the one time he did.
Relationships: Gale Hawthorne/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

"minin’ for 10 years, next saturday," ripper laughed, raising a glass of her white liquor, the stump of her other arm firmly ignored. 

liberty giggled, that sweet, beautiful giggle that reminded gale of the first time he set eyes on flowers. like when the sunshine was able to permeate through the thick smog. 

she was cleaner than most, aside from the blood under her nails. gale had seen her in the mist of her work, a handful of guts thrown over her shoulder as she removed the bones of a particularly fattened pig.

katniss used to talk in awe at how at ease she was utterly tearing at the flesh of cows and pigs. sometimes she’d “drop” a piece meant to be set aside for the capitol visitors, and rory would come struggling home, his arms laden with ham and bacon, but a beaming smile on his face.

liberty leant on her arms as ripper spoke about the accident, then cringed back when she smelt the liquor. “ripper, love, is this just paint thinner with vanilla extract?”

ripper’s laugh was nowhere as sunshine-like, it was more like a bark from a rabid dog. but it made liberty roll her eyes and pour the glass back into the bubbling pot, gale did the same, as quietly as he could.

“might be, libby, it’s a family recipe,” ripper tapped the side of her nose, avoiding the part that had a chunk torn out. liberty rolled her eyes, and looked over her shoulder at gale.

“gale, darlin’, have you got those nuts?” she asked, batting her eyelids. gale smiled, and threw her a bag, filled with a mixture of forest nuts.

“i’ll have it in bars by tomorrow, how’s my little man doing?” liberty took gale’s breath away. he thought katniss was the one since he met her, but he was mildly disturbed about how little he cared when she began dating the baker’s son. maybe it was how effortlessly liberty picked up a dead deer gale had killed and how soft her fingers were when she placed a packet of meat glue in his hand. 

“rory’s-” gale coughed, realising how tight his voice sounded. “rory’s fine, recovered well from that throat infection. thanks for that antiseptic.” he smiled, adoring the way she beamed at him.

“aw, that’s brill to hear! is it alright if i get him a present for his birthday? i adore that lil’ cutie,” liberty laughed, a wide smile on her face. gale laughed along with her, nodding gently.

“of course, isn’t your birthday coming up soon?” he asked, leaning back on the counter behind him. she just had to be turning eighteen before the next reaping. she was going to be safe. gale’s was only a week after the games, but that week could mean literal life or death. if he was reaped, he knew liberty would take care of the family, but he couldn’t help the grim feeling in his gut.

“aye, just another two weeks,” liberty smiled, leaning down to slip her shoes back on. “i’ve put my tessera way up, so i’ll have plenty to hand out, but not be at risk.” gale couldn’t be slightly in awe at how easy it all was for her. it wasn’t a cake walk, but she did have it easier than those in the seam. 

she gave back, even if it was just to the hawthornes. making gale stronger made the seam stronger, rory commonly gave out the meat sandwiches he didn’t eat at school. she was helpful in more ways than one. she was more helpful than she thought.

12 was so peaceful when she was around. amity knew she’d had it easier than most, and she always tried to give back because of that. “no point in lettin’ you havin’ it hard, if i get it easy,” was her mantra. gale couldn’t help but feel the jealousy spike when she delivered to thom, who always thanked her with a wink and a kiss on the cheek. his hands shook when he watched darius compliment liberty’s figure. 

and yet, she never beamed as brightly. the pride in gale’s heart soared when she laughed at one of his jokes, or let her hand linger on gale’s arm for a little longer than was “friendly.” she was just so… sweet. gale wondered sometimes if she was going to remain in district 12, considering the way peacekeepers looked at her. 


	2. Chapter 2

gale wasn’t used to visitors. he especially wasn’t used to a visitor at night. he wasn’t expecting a drenched liberty with a turkey’s neck in her hand. which is probably why he tilted his head and said “liberty?” like she was some kind of apparition. 

she smiled and nodded, holding out the turkey. “i couldn’t sleep, so i went downstairs and did some butcherin’... i know you can’t get out to hunt during the rain, i didn’t want you guys goin’ hungry,” she kept stammering and looking away, as if ashamed of her kind gesture. gale gently took the turkey from her fingers, before taking a step back.

“would you like some chicory?” gale asked, taking a step back, inviting her in. liberty looked to the side, sighing gently. “it’s fresh.” she shook her head, crossing her arms. 

“i can’t, dad’ll notice if i’m gone for too long,” she smiled though, looking up at the black sky. “i’ll come back tomorrow, if the rain doesn’t let up. i don’t want you go- i don’t want your family going hungry. just ‘cause you can’t hunt.” gale smiled gratefully, watching her throw her hood back up. 

“see you tomorrow,” gale itched to lean forward, close the distance. he wanted to feel her in his arms-  
she was gone. he missed his chance.

**Author's Note:**

> title: ten years of service by dropkick murphys


End file.
